Uruguayan arrested on sailboat with 2,100 kg of cocaine off Spanish coast
A Uruguayan citizen was arrested along with four other crew members on a sailboat carrying 2,100 kilos of cocaine, intercepted 400 nautical miles off Galicia.
Operation "Doncella": five arrested and 2,100 kilos of cocaine seized in Atlantic
Spain's Tax Agency intercepted a sailboat approximately 400 nautical miles off the coast of Galicia carrying seventy packages of cocaine with a total weight close to 2,100 kilos, according to elpais.com.uy. The operation, named "Doncella", concluded with five people arrested, including a Uruguayan citizen.
The four crew members arrested at the time of boarding are of Argentine, Uruguayan, Colombian and Albanian nationality. The vessel, called Seute Deern and flying a Polish flag, was towed to the port of Vigo, where it arrived on Monday morning.
On land, agents simultaneously detained a Chilean citizen residing in the province of Girona, considered responsible for procuring vessels with specific characteristics for the organisation. Authorities expect to arrest shortly a Spanish national based in Barcelona, allegedly in charge of guarding the vessels and detecting possible approaches by law enforcement.
An investigation that began in February
The investigation began in February in Girona, based on information about a sailboat that could have participated in an illicit operation in the border zone between Spain and France. Investigators located the vessel in a port in Girona in June and verified that on 11 July it set sail without activating the AIS system, mandatory in use during navigation.
From that point, the Customs Surveillance Service followed the trail of the sailboat with the collaboration of the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), until locating it in Atlantic waters.
The operation also made it possible to dismantle a network dedicated to facilitating vessels for the transport of large quantities of drugs by sea.
Charges and legal framework
The five detainees face charges for alleged offences of membership in a criminal organisation, smuggling and offences against public health. The proceedings will be handled by the National Court.
The Tax Agency describes the operation as one of the most significant carried out recently against cocaine trafficking on the so-called Atlantic Route, used by criminal organisations to introduce drugs into Europe through recreational vessels.
The investigation remains open and further arrests are not ruled out.
Source: Google News UY — Crime